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Arab nations receive Qatar's response to demands

It came ahead of a meeting in Cairo where foreign ministers from the four Arab nations will be discussing their next move.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir, centre, walking with his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel in the Red Sea resort of Jeddah on July 3, 2017. The two leaders met to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gulf where Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have cut ties with Qatar over its support for terrorism. AFP Photo

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Qatar has responded to the four Arab nations that issued Doha a list of demands for restoring ties, just hours ahead of a planned meeting in Cairo.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt issued a joint statement on Wednesday saying they would respond in a timely manner.

"The four countries received the Qatari response through the state of Kuwait before the end of the extended period. And it will be responded to at the right time," Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry tweeted.

Foreign ministers from the four Arab nations will be discussing their next move at a meeting in Cairo at 3pm UAE time on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies severed ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing Doha of supporting extremist groups and over its ties with Iran. Qatar denies supporting extremists and has defended its warm ties with Iran.

On June 22, the four Arab countries issued Qatar a 13-point list of demands, giving Doha a 10-day deadline to comply.

At the request of Kuwait, which is acting as mediator, they extended the deadline for two more days. That deadline expired early on Wednesday morning.

Also on Wednesday, credit ratings agency Moody's downgraded Qatar's economic outlook to negative from stable over the turmoil.